Weekly Blog

Merry Christmas, dear readers! I made a short Yuletide video, which you can watch by clicking HERE. Yes, I know I'm squinting in the video. I did it outside since it was an uncommonly lovely day, and I guess the sun was a bit brighter than I'd anticipated. I live in Texas. Oh well.This Christmas was a bit different from the others I've experienced before. Sure, we did what we always do on Christmas Eve--go to my grandparents' house where we eat dinner, exchange cookies, open presents, and reenact the Nativity story with candles. I always learn a Christmas carol on the piano, and this year, I did Linda Hartman's arrangement of "What Child Is This?". By the grace of God, it turned out nicely.It was our Christmas Day that was a bit different than usual. Normally, we'll open our presents, then have our grandparents over for dinner. This year, we had our grandparents over for brunch before leaving for a friend's house. I decided to stick my nose in a book and hide until the gift exchange, in which I narrowly avoided a catfish dinner with our hostess's eighty-something-year-old stepfather and ended up with a Dairy Queen gift card.I was two weeks old when I first celebrated Christmas. Now, at eighteen, I'm trying to transition from a child's view of Christmas to an adult's. I'm full of questions. Am I too old to decorate sugar cookies? To what extent do I help clean up the kitchen after Christmas Eve dinner? How much am I supposed to spend per person?

My newfound status as an adult has also shaped my wish list. I asked for a few nice long-sleeved shirts that I can wear to work (that aren't sweaters) and stuff for my hope chest. I got a cast iron frying pan and a sword-shaped letter opener. I also got the "No-Fear Shakespeare" version of Macbeth, which includes the original play and a modern English paraphrase side-by-side. I might be an author, but I can't understand Shakespeare any better than the average college student.Last but not least, my sister got me a mug cake. I'll eat it on New Year's Day, since I have to work at Domino's on New Year's Eve and I'm already dreading it. Why, why ​did I agree to go back for a week after Christmas? Oh, no time for regret. I'm taking my dog to the park in an hour and need to eat lunch. What's in the fridge? Do we have taquitos? And I have to eat some of these Christmas cookies before my sister does.